Whispers
by Noolie
Summary: There was once happiness and life in Unova. Meloetta saw to that. But when darkness stained the land, the carefree energy was drained. And after the turmoil that plagued Unova, Meloetta waits. She waits and waits for the song and dance that she loved so much. A post-B/W 2 story.
1. Prologue

**Hello c: This is a Pokèmon fanfiction (obviously). It will be written in two separate POVs, however this first prologue is only written in one. There will be Black/White and Black/White 2 spoilers.  Be warned. **

* * *

There's an elegant hum in the air, along with the light sound of Meloetta's shoes tapping against the floor. There are smiles amongst the people and Pokémon below her, and their delight and optimism puts a grin on Meloetta herself. She continues to sing and dance all night.

Meloetta does the same thing every night. She's been doing this for hundreds of years – singing and dancing for the residents of Unova. Putting them in good moods. She loves doing this, seeing the happiness spread across the region.

Meloetta tries to ignore the ever-growing negativity. But it nags at her – at the back of her head she feels the oncoming sadness and bitterness. Worries about money, hatred at society – she feels them in the aura of her people. At first it's just a few people, and Meloetta tries to control their emotions, to make them happy once more. But as the spread of despondency increases, Meloetta finds herself overwhelmed. All around her, shades of black and white quickly replace the bubbly colors that were once part of her.

It is then her shoes disappear. The vibrant red color – the color of passion and excitement – fade into nothing. Meloetta finds herself unable to sing or dance. She cannot bring happiness to Unova anymore.

So she sits down and waits. It's many years later when happiness returns, but it's not the same. There's still a poignant air to everything. She waits longer.

Meloetta loves singing and dancing. Those were the things that made Unova happy. So she waits even longer, hoping for the song and dance to rise again.


	2. Chapter One

**Well here's the first actual chapter :] Meet Avery and Taryn. They love you.**_  
_

* * *

SPLASH.

As cold water rudely interrupted her sleep, Avery opened her eyes with a loud gasp, and her body tensed as the warmth left her. As she adjusted to the bright light of morning, Avery then realized her Oshawott, Sophia, was perched upon her legs, water still dripping from her white face as she looked down at Avery with a slight smile on her face.

"Oh boy." Avery sighed in a mix of amusement and exasperation. Perhaps this was the reason she did not need an alarm clock – Sophia was always much too happy to drench her trainer in an ice cold Water Gun.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Avery then waved her hand, gesturing Sophia to get off. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting out a long yawn and stretching her arms.

"Oh, yeah Sophia, let's go out to the café for breakfast. I think they're having a breakfast special today."

"_Osha!_"

"Hmm?" Avery looked at Sophia, after the water Pokémon's uncharacteristic rejection. Sophia stepped back, and removed the scalchop from her stomach. The Oshawott then proceeded to mimic battle motions, slicing the air with the yellow blade. The memory then hit her like a truck.

"Oh, yeah, we're finally leaving Aspertia City today!" Avery jumped up as her Oshawott nodded and smiled, showing off her two little front teeth.

As Sophia went off to wake up her two brothers, Avery grabbed the silver hairbrush from her nightstand and walked towards her mirror, which was leaned against the wall opposite her. After running the bristles through her dark blue tangles, Avery placed the hairbrush back in its respective place and opened up her dresser.

"Hmm, what should I wear today?" she wondered to herself. It was still August, but Unova tended to get cold faster than other regions, not to mention Avery's extreme sensitivity to anything even remotely cold. She picked through her wardrobe (there was very little in it – most of it had been packed away for her journey), deciding on a loose, cream-colored shirt with a dark brown wool cardigan. She peeled off her wet clothing and changed into the new, more presentable outfit. After changing, she grabbed a hair tie from a small cup sitting on her dresser, and tied up the top portion of her hair into a bun at the back of her head.

"There." Avery mumbled to herself as she took a glance at herself in the mirror. Good enough, she decided, racing out her bedroom door. Sophia had been done waking up her the twins, Aaron and Oliver, evident by her satisfied expression as she walked towards Avery. The two 17-year-olds followed the Oshawott sleepily.

"Oh, hey, Avery, aren't you leaving today?" Oliver asked as he and his brother passed by her. Avery nodded.

"It's been a while, huh?" Aaron commented as he shook water out of his hair, "You've been waiting for…four years now? Well, take care, sis. Remember to call." Aaron ruffled his little sister's hair, messing up the hairstyle she had just done minutes earlier. Avery sighed.

"Yep, I will. I'll see you two at breakfast." Avery pulled out her hair tie and quickly redid her hair as she walked down the stairs, Sophia following closely. Once she arrived downstairs, she saw her mother setting a plate of breakfast down.  
"Avery! Good morning!" Her mother, unusually happy this morning, greeted her as she walked down the last few steps.

"Morning, mom. What's—"

_Knock-knock._

* * *

Taryn rocked back and forth on her heels waiting for someone from the Galliard's household to answer her knock. A few moments passed, and then she heard the click of the door unlocking. Mrs. Galliard opened the door and smiled down and Taryn.

"Oh, hello Taryn! You're here early," she greeted.

"Yeah, I was just a little overly-excited, so I got ready pretty fast. Is Avery awake yet?" Taryn asked as she peered over Mrs. Galliard's shoulder. She nodded and stood aside to allow Taryn in. Inside, Taryn was greeted by Avery's Oshawott running over to her. Taryn's own Oshawott, Nadia, jumped down from her shoulder to greet Sophia.

"Hey, Taryn. I'm just finishing up my breakfast, and then we can go," Avery waved from where she was sitting at the table. Taryn nodded and then went to sit in the chair beside her. She took off her pink backpack and began sorting through it to make sure she didn't forget anything. Once she was done she got up and slid the backpack back onto her back. Soon after, Avery got up to put her dishes into the sink.

"Okay, Avery, are you ready now?" Taryn looked over at the blue-haired girl, who nodded in reply. Taryn clapped her hands together in excitement and then looked around for Nadia. She saw her on the ground dodging Tackle attacks from Sophia, and went to grab her. The Oshawott squirmed around in her arms, obviously not wanting to be carried.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. We've asked this boy named Hugh to come and give you some tips and explain things to you before you go. He's already beaten all eight gyms, so he's very experienced," Avery's mom told them.

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean Hugh as in the Hugh who's friends with Rosa- Champion Rosa?" Taryn asked in anticipation.

"Um, yes I believe so. He'll be here any minute, so you'd best get outside."

"Alright! C'mon Avery, let's go!" Taryn grabbed Avery's arm and started to drag the girl out of the house, but she yanked it back.

"I can walk on my own, and I still need to grab my bag," she said. Taryn shrugged and walked out of the house without her, and was surprised to see that Hugh was already out there waiting.

"Oh my gosh. Hi, Hugh! Tell us everything you know!"

* * *

Avery sighed as she grabbed her bag, quickly putting it on. She and Taryn weren't necessarily _friends, _however their parents were, and due to the recent dangers in Unova (the same dangers that had prevented her from starting her journey four years ago) Taryn and Avery were forced to go together. Avery saw this as a slight annoyance, for she didn't care for Taryn's peppy, excitable demeanor. However, she knew she would tolerate it.

"Oh my gosh. So you're best friends with Champion Rosa?" Avery heard Taryn's excited squeals as Avery left her house. Avery sighed as she approached the two trainers.

"Yeah, we grew up in this city together." Hugh explained. The older trainer then noticed Avery come out of her house. "Hey, I'm Hugh. So your mothers asked me to teach you guys the ropes of Pokémon. Let's go out to Route 19 so I can properly train you two!" Taryn jumped up.

"Ooh, okay – let's go! C'mon Avery!" Taryn grabbed Avery by the arm and tugged her along as the two followed Hugh out of Aspertia City. Avery sighed, giving up and allowing Taryn to drag her along. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Nadia pick up Sophia, carrying her starter over her head, much to Sophia's annoyance. Soon enough, they had arrived at the border between Aspertia City and Route 19.

"Alright, so these are your starters?" Hugh gestured to the two Oshawotts as Nadia set down Sophia. "They seem happy!"

"Yeah, we've been raising them since they were born!" Taryn piped up.

"They're sisters – our parents are breeders so they gave us the eggs a few years back." Avery added quietly. Hugh nodded.

"Well, I'm glad to see you two treat your Pokémon right! Anyways, I'll show you how to catch a Pokémon." Hugh walked a few steps away from them, into the tall, knee-length grass. "Pokémon usually hide in here. So whenever you're in the tall grass, be careful because—" Hugh was cut off mid-sentence by the shrill cry of a Patrat. The small brown Pokémon hissed at the trainers, tense and ready to attack.

"Alright, so the most important step is to weaken the Pokémon first. It's harder to catch a Pokémon at full strength." Hugh explained, before picking a Pokéball off of his belt. "Go, Serperior!" The red and white ball flew through the air, before glowing white and releasing an elegant-looking Serperior, "Slam!" The green serpentine Pokémon quickly obeyed its orders, sliding behind the Patrat and slamming it with its tail. The Patrat lunged forward with a yelp.

"Now that you've weakened the Pokémon, you want to throw a Pokéball at it." Hugh expertly snatched a Pokéball from his bag, and tossed it towards the Patrat. The capsule opened mid-air, and a beam of white light hit the Patrat, sucking the Pokémon into the ball. It fell to the ground with a soft _thud_, and the ball shook violently for a few seconds before settling.

"There! And that's how you catch a Pokémon."

* * *

Taryn nodded in understanding once Hugh was done with his demonstration. He then began to shuffle around in his bag, and then took out two pouches.

"Here, your parents told me to give you these. There's a few Pokéballs in there for you to use," Hugh handed them each a pouch, and Taryn stuffed it into her bag.

"I can't wait to catch a Pokemon. What do you think you'll catch first, Avery?" Taryn asked.

"Umm… I don't know. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what kind of Pokemon are out there," Avery shrugged.

"Come on, I need to show you a few things back in Aspertia," Hugh said as he gestured for them to follow him back to the town. As they entered the city Hugh pointed out a tall building that Taryn recognized as the Pokemon Gym. "When you think you've trained enough you should go challenge Cheren at the gym. And over there," he pointed to a building with a red roof, "is the Pokemon Center. Go there to heal your Pokemon. Oh and there's also a shop to buy things."

"Okay, thanks Hugh!" Avery said as she gave a grateful smile.

"Yes that was very useful information! But uh, could you tell us more about your adventures and battles and stuff?" Taryn gazed up hopefully at Hugh, who looked rather taken aback.

"Well um, I have to go back and check on my little sister, so maybe some other time. You should probably get started on your journey. So have fun, and remember to treat your Pokemon well!" Hugh waved goodbye and then began walking back to his house.

"Hmph. He could of at least told us one." Taryn complained.

"Well he's got better things to do, I guess. Now let's get going and start training," Avery turned and began walking out back towards Route 19. Taryn ran after her, and Nadia and Sophia followed her.

"Alright Nadia, you ready to Water Gun these suckers?" Taryn grinned down at Nadia, who nodded in reply. Avery was the first to start walking into the tall grass, and stopped when a Lillipup hopped out in front of her.

"Ok Sophia, use Water Gun!" Avery's Oshawott let out a burst of water, and the Lillipup staggered backwards a few steps before fainting.

"Alright! Good job, Avery!" Taryn held her hand up for a high-five, and Avery slapped her hand against Taryn's weakly. "That battle was not worthy of a high-five as weak as that." Avery ignored her and kept on walking. They traveled on for a bit more, and there were many more battles.

"Floccesy Town is coming up. We can rest up Nadia and Sophia there," Avery told Taryn, who was currently battling a Patrat.

"Sounds good to me!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading c: **


	3. Chapter Two

**Myyssstterrrryyy. Gaspy face.**

* * *

"Phew!" Taryn collapsed onto a nearby bench, stretching her arms, "We've been training for a while. I think Nadia and Sophia are worn out." Sure enough, Nadia was currently leaning on Sophia for support, while Sophia stood there with an annoyed expression at her sister.

"Yeah, we should call it a day." Avery nodded, adjusting her jacket around her torso. Avery was easily susceptible to the cold, and the freezing night air didn't help much. She let out a sneeze, shivering. "Before I die of hypothermia." Avery added, muttering her annoyance.  
"Pfft, it's not _that _cold." Taryn scoffed, jumping up from her seat on the bench. Avery glanced at Taryn's outfit – a white shirt with elbow-length sleeves below a simple vest. Avery frowned.

"Well in—"

"Ooh, look a cave!" Taryn pointed to a large opening nearby, embedded into the edge of a cliff, "Let's go there." Avery tilted her head. It was late – almost 10:30 – but at the same time it did seem very tempting.

"Hmm, it does seem fun…" Avery was about to agree to it when her logic came back to her, "Wait. No, Taryn, it's too late for that now. Let's go in the morning."

"I guess you're right. But let's go there first thing in the morning!"

"Sure. So let's go book a room in the Pokémon Center now." Avery decided, before putting a hand on her chin, "Hmm…well, actually we might fare better sleeping outside tonight, since we're both low on money and I have a sleeping bag. Then again, it might get even colder now that fall is – Taryn?" It was then Avery realized Taryn had already left her while she was rambling. "I…but…" Avery sputtered, before sighing. "Taryn!" Avery shouted, running in the direction Taryn had fled.

"Welcome to the Floccesy Town Pokémon Center!" Nurse Joy greeted the two trainers as they approached the counter. "May I heal your Pokémon?"

"Yes, thank you." Avery nodded, handing the pink-haired nurse her single Pokéball, with Taryn following suit. Nurse Joy quickly put the Pokéballs on a table behind her, and pressed a button as the Pokémon inside were healed.

"We'd also like to book a room for the night." Taryn requested, pulling out her trainer card. Avery blinked – she had already done the calculations; sleeping outside would be cheaper! – but nonetheless handed Nurse Joy her trainer card as well.

"Alright, Avery Galliard and Taryn Capella? Your room number is 361. Would you like room service?"

"No, tha—"

"Oh, yes please." Taryn agreed, digging into her purse to pay for the room and food.

"It will be 150 Pokédollars; 100 for the room and 50 for room service." Nurse Joy explained. Avery stood there with an expression of shock and despair.

"B-But…fine." Avery sighed and handed over her half of the money. Nurse Joy took the money, and in return gave Taryn the room key and Avery the menu.

"Your Pokémon will be sent to your rooms shortly. Have a good night!"

* * *

Taryn raced down the hallway skimming the doors for their room number- 361. As she was running she realized she just saw the number, and stopped abruptly. Walking backwards to the door, she pointed at it so Avery knew.

"It's here!" she shouted.

Avery narrowed her eyes, "There might be people sleeping. You should be a little more quiet." Taryn shrugged and shoved the key card into the slot and the door unlocked. She then immediately ran in and hopped onto one of the bunks, while throwing her bag onto the ground.

"Alrighty let's look at this menu," she said and held her hand out for Avery to give her the menu. Avery threw it onto the bed and Taryn began flipping through it. "Hmm… I think pizza sounds good right about now. You want some?"

"Uhh sure. That sounds fine," Avery replied. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Avery went to answer it. She came back with two Pokéballs in her hand, and then released the two Oshawotts from them. Nadia sprung up onto the bed Taryn was on to see what she was doing.

"So I guess we just call the number on the menu and ask for pizza then?" Taryn looked up at Avery for reassurance.

"Pretty sure that's how it goes. Oh, and you should ask for some water bottles, too."

"Mhm," Taryn's gaze was now locked on the woods outside. She had just remembered the cave they encountered earlier, and had a sudden urge to go there again. "Hey do you maybe want to go explore that cave tonight?"

Avery's dark orange eyes were round in shock at Taryn's suggestion, "What? Taryn, I don't think that's such a good idea." Her expression suddenly softened. "Well, maybe we could… For a little bit."

Taryn grinned and hopped off of the bed. "Yeah! We could just grab some snacks or something if we're that hungry, but I really want to see what's in this cave." She started towards the door with Nadia on her heels. Avery and Sophia followed, and soon they were at the exit. They began walking in the direction of where the cave was, and Taryn couldn't help but shiver at the cool, night breeze. Beside her, Avery was even worse. Taryn remembered that Avery was really sensitive to the cold, and felt bad for her.

"The cave isn't too far from here, and maybe it'll be warmer in there," Taryn said as she attempted to make Avery a little more hopeful. The blue-haired girl just glanced at Taryn, and didn't say anything.

"What do you think will be in the cave?" Avery finally said.

"I don't know. Maybe there'll be some rare Pokemon or item!" Taryn then got really impatient and broke into a run so she'd get to the cave faster. Instead of taking her time like she usually did, Avery ran as well. They both stood at the mouth of the cave, staring inside. Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps coming from inside, and a scraggly old man appeared.

"Well, uh, hello there. Can I help you?"

* * *

At the sight and sound of the old man, Avery tensed, already preparing to run away if needed. Taryn, however, was not fazed at all.

"Oh, hello. I'm Taryn and this is Avery – we wanted to explore this cave." Taryn explained briefly. The man nodded slowly.

"Yes, yes, I see…Well, if you two have time, I'd love to tell you a story about this cave."

"Oh? Go ahead and tell us..." Taryn gave him a look. The enigmatic old man shook his head.

"Names are simply ineffectual these days." He replied, smiling. Avery tilted her head. She wasn't quite sure if this man was to be trusted, but she was curious to know the tale of the cave.

"There once was a Pokémon called Meloetta." The man started, his skinny face forming a smile, "She sang a beautiful song and danced ever so gracefully, bringing happiness to the people of Unova. Her music was so lovely and refined; it could control the emotions of those around her. However, when the world was stained with darkness and sorrow, this song was lost to the wind. It is said that the soul of Meloetta's tune has escaped to the things dearest to her – song and dance. Now, at the same time, Meloetta's red shoes were lost as well, and it is said that they reside in this cave."

"Ohh, Avery," Taryn looked towards the dark-haired girl, "we should go look for Meloetta's shoes!"

"Now, Taryn," the elder warned her, "I must tell you there have been two-hundred and four who have searched this entire cave, and two-hundred and four people have come out empty-handed."

"So, Meloetta's shoes aren't in there." Avery spoke up. The elderly man shook his head.

"Perhaps they are in there, and two-hundred and four people simply did not look hard enough. Or perhaps it's just a myth – that's all up to you."

"Hmph." Avery sounded, glancing into the cave. It was futile to go in there; however she felt drawn to the cave, and uncharacteristically she didn't quite think about any consequences.

"Well, we should go look anyways!" Taryn grabbed Avery by the arm yet again, much to her dismay, "Thanks for the story! C'mon, guys!" she gestured to the two Oshawott sitting on the ground, who were very much entranced by the old man's story.

Avery sighed and tugged her arm away as they entered the cave. It was dark, the only light source being the tiny cracks in the top, letting shafts of moonlight flood in.

"Oh my gosh, Avery, look here!" Avery turned her head towards Taryn, and much to her shock, she was standing right next to a perfect marble platform – and even more shockingly, there were a pair of red shoes resting on top of it.

* * *

"Wh-What? But the old man said two-hundred and four people came in here and didn't find anything. How could they not see this?" Avery said while staring in awe at the small, red ballet shoes.

"They must've been as blind as Zubats not to see this," Taryn snorted. She picked up the shoes and examined them. "I knew we'd find something good in this cave."

"How can we be sure these are the real shoes, though? What if the old man just put them here?" Avery asked, her voice filled with uncertainty. Taryn thought for a moment; Avery did have a good point.

"But why would he want to? They're just shoes. Come on, let's head back to the Pokemon Center," Taryn headed back towards the entrance of the cave where the old man was still waiting. He gave them a look of amazement when he noticed the shoes dangling from Taryn's grip.

"Y-You found them?"

"Yep. They were sitting there right on a platform. I don't know how anyone could miss it," Taryn cast a suspicious glance at the man.

"Did you put them there?" Avery questioned. The old man slowly shook his head while still staring at the shoes.

"No… No, I was actually here looking for them myself earlier today. I only just decided to give up before you two came," the old man explained. The two girls looked at each other before Avery spoke.

"Well um, I guess we'll be going then. Thanks again for the story," she gave a little wave and Taryn followed her away from the cave.

"Should we assume these are the actual shoes?" Taryn asked as they trekked onwards.

"I'm not sure. I still think it's strange that they were right in plain sight and no one else saw them," Avery looked up ahead at the Pokemon Center. "Let's just go to sleep and think about what we should do with them in the morning."

"Maybe the shoes wanted us to find them!" Taryn suggested.

"I don't think a pair of shoes can think for themselves like that, Taryn," Avery said as she rolled her eyes. Taryn shrugged and looked down at Sophia and Nadia. The two Oshawotts kept yawning and stumbling along. Taryn kneeled down and picked up Nadia, who didn't protest this time. Avery did the same with Sophia, and they entered the Pokemon Center.

"Gosh I didn't realize how tired I was," Taryn yawned. The two girls and their Pokemon slowly walked back to the room, and immediately got ready for bed.

"Well this has been an interesting first day of our journey," Avery whispered as they were lying in their beds.

"Yep! Tomorrow we should go check out the Floccesy Ranch- I heard there's more Pokemon there other than Patrats and Lillipups," Taryn replied.

"Sounds good to me," Avery agreed. "Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

**Hello. Thank you for reading. Good-bye.**


	4. Chapter Three

There was a knock at the door, startling Avery from her sleep. It took her a few moments to realize exactly where she was – the bottom bunk of a Pokémon center room. She could just make out the steady hum of Taryn's breathing, which was drowned out by yet another knock.

"Coming," she sleepily called as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, taking care not to crush the Oshawott sleeping below her. Avery stretched her arms on the way to the door, and swung it open to reveal Nurse Joy, who was holding a plate of old pizza.

"You two weren't in your rooms when your food came," Nurse Joy explained simply, and Avery mentally slapped herself for not noticing the whole pizza sitting outside their doorstep when they came back, "I assume you don't want old, soggy pizza, but I'm afraid we can't replace it. Would you care for some breakfast, however?"

"Yes, please!" Taryn's voice yelled from her place on the top bunk, "I'm starving." Avery sighed, but nothing more than that. She too, was incredibly hungry; the last thing she had eaten was a small apple, hardly enough to keep her going.

"Alright, we'll just take two servings of pancakes. With some apple juice on the side, please." Avery ordered, listing off the first thing that came to her sleep-filled head.

"Very well, it'll be here shortly." Nurse Joy nodded, and left the room. Avery sighed once more, before shutting the door and turning back to Taryn. Sophia had already woken up and was currently digging through her bag for Pokémon food, while Nadia was collapsed on Taryn's head.

"Taryn, Nadia, get up you two; we're gonna be catching some new Pokémon today." No response.

"C'mon, guys, up. I don't want to waste time with—"

"I _am _up, Avery," came Taryn's muffled reply, "I'm just not _up._"

"Well then get _up._" Avery folded her arms over her chest, "I'm gonna use the restroom. You should be up and dressed by the time I get back."

"Sir, yes, sir." Taryn groaned in a sarcastic, monotone voice, although Avery ignored it and went into the bathroom. The light flickered on at her presence, and she locked the door behind her. Quickly she grabbed the disposable toothbrush and cup provided for the guests and brushed her teeth. After trashing the items, she grabbed a hairbrush and began smoothing out her dark blue locks. Normally she would section off the top portion of her hair and pull it back, but today Avery decided to do something different, and after a little fussing, got her hair into a presentable side braid. A little water to wash away her morning sleepiness, and Avery was out the bathroom door.

By the time she had entered the room again, Taryn was pulling on a dark blue hoodie. Avery was surprised she had actually managed to haul herself out of bed, let alone put on respectable clothing. Quietly, the girls switched places – Avery went to change and Taryn went into the bathroom. Not wanting to dress up too much, Avery decided a dark gray sweater and jeans would suffice for today. Adding a lighter gray-green scarf and pulling on her shoes, Avery was set.

Soon after Taryn had emerged from the bathroom, her hair tied up in its usual ponytail, there was a knock at the door.

"Ooh, I'll get it!" Taryn zipped to the door, swinging it open to reveal a Nurse Joy, holding a silver platter of pancakes, with large glasses of apple juice on the side, "Oh, thank goodness. I was starving. Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"You're welcome. Your bill comes out to $6.50."

Needless to say, Avery died a little inside.

* * *

Taryn immediately dug into her pancakes. This was probably the most she'd eaten since the dinner she had the night before they left for their journey. She scarfed down her pancakes in no time and drank her apple juice. After grabbing her bag from her bunk, she started walking towards the door.

"I'll meet you outside, Avery." Avery's head turned around in surprise, and she began shaking her head.

"Can't you just wait for me to be done?" Avery pleaded. "You should double check to make sure you haven't forgotten anything."

"I've got everything, don't worry. And fine, I'll wait. Just hurry it up, please." Taryn flopped down onto the ground and waited for Avery to be done. Next to her Nadia was throwing her little shell in the air and then catching it.

"Okay I'm done. Let's go!" Avery announced. Taryn quickly got up and raced out the door. They returned the room key to the desk and then headed out into Floccesy Town. "The ranch is that way." Avery pointed towards a path that led out into the wilderness, her map in hand. The journey to the ranch was longer than Taryn expected, but they still made it in good time.

"Time to go catch me some Pokemon!" Taryn exclaimed as she jogged over to some taller grass. She paused, however, after noticing some fluffy figures off in the distance. "Hey Avery, look over there. What are those things?"

Avery turned to where Taryn was pointing and shrugged. "Maybe it's some kind of Pokemon? I'm going to go check it out." Taryn followed her friend over to the strange creatures. Once they were closer to them, Taryn realized that they were actually really cute.

"Are you going to catch one? Because if you don't, I will," she whispered to Avery.

"I think I'm going to. I'm pretty sure they're Mareep, an electric-type Pokemon."

"Oh. Well, good luck! I'm going to see what else lives here," Taryn said. Her and Nadia walked back over towards the tall grass, and then ventured into it. Looking around, she occasionally heard the sounds of twigs snapping and grass moving, but saw nothing.

"Psyy!" Taryn jumped up in surprise at the terrible noise and looked behind her at a Psyduck staring up at her.

"Nadia, Tackle!" she commanded. Nadia rammed herself into the Psyduck, who stumbled backwards and then fell. Taryn felt bad. The poor thing looked pretty confused, and it kept holding onto its head like it was in pain. "Urgh… Come on, Nadia. Let's keep looking." After a few more battles they reached a fence, and Taryn guessed that marked the edge of the Ranch. She noticed a little dark blue and black figure sitting near it, and it turned around ready to attack just as she started walking towards it.

"Taryn? Where are you? I caught a Mareep!" She heard Avery's call, but ignored it. This- Riolu, was it?- was hers.

"Ok, Nadia, use Water Gun! Then Tackle!" The Oshawott did as she was told, and quickly followed through with the attacks. They weakened the Riolu greatly, and Taryn decided now was the time to catch it. She threw one of the Pokéballs she got from Hugh at the Riolu, and watched as the Pokéball began rocking. A few moments later it clicked, and Taryn reached down to grab it. "I'm calling you Orion!"

It was a hasty decision catching the Mareep so suddenly, Avery evaluated after holding the Pokéball in her hand. Perhaps she should've decided more carefully. However, it would provide some type coverage…Avery decided this new Mareep would be a nice addition to her team.

"I'm calling you Orion!" Taryn's triumphant voice sounded throughout the ranch as she held her Pokéball in the air.

* * *

"Oh, you caught a Riolu." Avery commented as Taryn released the little blue-and-gray Pokémon. Orion appeared in a flash of white light, and although tired, he looked around with cautious eyes, giving everyone around him a glance-over. Nadia had hobbled over to Orion, and was now giving her new comrade a tight hug, much to his confusion.

"Oh yeah, Avery, what are you gonna name your Mareep?" Taryn asked, facing her. Avery blinked.

"Right, nicknames. Hmm…" Avery thought for a moment, before deciding, "I think Rinnie would work." Avery nodded, confirming her choice. She tossed Rinnie's Pokéball in the air, releasing the Mareep.

Rinnie was rather small for a Mareep – or at least the ones she had seen on TV – and the new team member looked at everyone curiously, her head tilted to one side.

Her eyes rested on Sophia. The poor thing was simply pulling Nadia off of Orion when the electric sheep pounced on her, catching her completely off-guard. However, Sophia easily overpowered her shortly, sending Rinnie flying off in the next direction. The Oshawott's face was reminiscent of her trainer's frustrated face.

"Oookaay then…they're gonna be great friends, I can tell."

They had been training since morning, and now the mid-afternoon sun was beating down on Avery as she commanded Sophia to use Water Gun on a nearby tree. There were carefully placed targets etched into the wood, carved by Avery herself. Meanwhile Taryn was battling against another Psyduck – those things seemed to flock to her. After Sophia had successfully hit all the targets, Avery had Rinnie do the same with her ThunderShock, which she mastered incredibly quickly. Soon enough, Avery sat down on a nearby log with a loud sigh.

"Taryn!" she yelled at her friend, gesturing for the girl to come. Taryn got the message and quickly finished off the battle between her and the wild Psyduck.

"You done?" Taryn breathed as she ran up to her. Avery nodded briskly.

"I think we're ready to challenge Cheren at the Aspertia Gym!" Avery flashed a rare, genuine smile – it was clear her excitement was getting to her. Taryn returned it with a grin of her own.

"Well, let's go!"

The two girls raced away from Floccesy Ranch, all the way back to Aspertia City. It took a while, having to run all the way across Floccesy Town, and by the time they had arrived at the Pokémon gym, they were tired and panting.

"Phew…that was a workout." Taryn breathed, before opening the door to the Aspertia City gym.

Or better said, the trainer's school.

Immediately the two girls were faced with a dull classroom setting, and memories of sitting in class, listening carefully to the teacher's lecturing came back to Avery like a flood.

"Oh whoa…I haven't been here in a year." Avery muttered, before snapping herself out of it and making her way to the back of the classroom – where the gym was. Even as a serious student, Avery couldn't help but steal glances towards the gym door, wondering what it was like behind the wall. And now, as Taryn pushed open the double doors, she found…

It was nothing special.

A simple brown court with two trainers waiting idly for trainers, and a pedestal where Cheren stood was at the very back. Although it was a Normal-type gym, hence the simplicity, Avery couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

None of that, she reminded herself as she felt the excitement pump through her veins.

"Alright, Taryn, you go take care of that one," Avery gestured to a blonde boy in a blue vest, "and I'll get this one." She cast her gaze upon a small, pigtailed girl with brown curls. "Good luck."

And with that, the two set off to defeat the respective gym trainers. Avery decided at the beginning of the battle - when the girl sent out a Patrat - that this would be an easy win. And sure enough, a few ThunderShocks from Rinnie were enough to take it out.

By the time Avery was done with the girl, Taryn had been waiting for her. And sure enough, Gym Leader Cheren was watching. The two girls gave a silent nod before walking up to the pedestal in which Cheren stood. Looking down at the two girls, Cheren nodded and adjusted his tie.

"Welcome to the Aspertia Gym. I am Gym Leader Cheren, the Normal-type Gym Leader." Cheren introduced himself. Avery nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Taryn cut her off before any words could form.

"I'm Taryn and this is Avery. We'd like to do a double gym battle, if that's okay." She requested, her confidence at a level that Avery could not hope to achieve. There was a flash of surprise in Cheren's eyes, before he nodded in agreement.

"Very well. I will take you on 2-2!" With that, Cheren expertly grabbed the two Pokéballs on his belt, and the battle ensued.

* * *

Taryn smirked as Cheren sent out his two Pokemon- a Patrat and a Lillipup. She'd beaten tons of those in battle, so she had a feeling this gym would be easy. She decided to use Orion since he was a Fighting-type and would have an advantage over the Normal-type Pokemon.

"Okay Orion, use Quick Attack against the Patrat!"

"Detect!" Cheren's Patrat quickly dodged Orion's attack, much to Taryn's surprise. However Rinnie countered with a ThunderShock against the Patrat, which made it stagger back. "Lillipup, use Tackle on the Riolu!" Taryn watched as the Lillipup slammed into Orion, but he didn't seem that affected by it.

"Orion, use Counter!" Taryn decided to try out Orion's newest move. He had to be attacked first in order for it to work, however. The move seemed to have a big impact on the Lillipup's strength, for it took a few moments for it to regain balance.

"Rinnie, use ThunderShock on th- Ow! Wh-What?!" Taryn turned to see what Avery was 'owing' about, and gasped in surprise when she saw the red shoes floating next to her. "They just start whacking my head!" Avery cried out.

"What? How are they…?" Taryn stared blankly at the shoes. She then reached over to try and grab them, but to no avail. They fell to the ground before she had them in her grip, and didn't reanimate. "That was weird. Are there any Psychic Pokemon around or something?" Taryn looked over at Cheren who looked just as puzzled as they were.

"Not that I know of," he replied.

"Well uh, let's continue the battle, then. Rinnie let's try that ThunderShock again! Oh and use it on the Patrat!" Avery commanded. The little Mareep sent out an electric shock at the Patrat, who was already weakened from Orion's Counter attack. The Patrat fainted, which meant they just had to defeat the Lillipup.

"Okay Orion, let's use Quick- Ow! Argh, not again." Taryn was interrupted by the red shoes, which were hitting her head like she was a piñata. "Stop! Stop it! Avery get them away from me!" Just like before, the shoes fell down as soon as Avery tried to grab them.

"I'll go put them in my bag," Avery stated as she picked up the shoes. Taryn rubbed her head and turned back towards the battle scene. Cheren stood with a concerned look on his face, but reverted his attention back to the battle.

"Lillipup, use Tackle!" The Lillipup charged at Orion, who stood tensely waiting for the attack. When it came, he stumbled backwards a few steps, but was otherwise unfazed.

"Counter!" Taryn hoped this would make the Lillipup faint, but unfortunately it got back up with a determined look in its eyes. "You sure are a strong Lillipup."

"Rinnie, let's finish it with Tackle!" Avery called from where the bags were. She then quickly ran over just in time to see Lillipup faint.

"Yes, we did it! High-five!" Taryn held up her hand, and Avery returned the high-five.


End file.
